Furnace and apparatus for producing and burning gaseous vapors



(No Model.)

G. H. HARVEY.

FURNACE AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AND BURNING GASEOUS VAPORS.

Nd.403,839. Pat ted Ma. 211889.

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AUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. H'fARVEYf, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AND BURNING GASEOUS VAPORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,839, dated May 21,1889.

Application filed June 6, 1388. Serial No, 276,285- No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. HARVEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFurnaces and Apparatus for Producing and Burning Gaseous Vapors; andI dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of the invention is to secure greater uniformity in thecharacter and production of the enriching vapors evolved from the liquidhydrocarbon used in carburetin g, to prevent subsequent condensation ofsuch vapors between the carburetor and furnace, and to thoroughly mixthem with air forcomb ustion before their temperature has been lowered;and the invention consists in the construction and combinations ofparts, hereinafter described and pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a section of a furnacecombined with air-heating and carbureting devices, shown partly insection. Fig. 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, of concentric gasand air conduits, being a portion of the furnace-burner. Fig. 3 is aside View of the same, the air-pipe being represented in section. Fig. 4is a detail view, in section, on a still larger scale, of burner-pipesprovided with exits for air and gas. Fig. 5 represents a modified formof the carburetor, and Figs. 6 and 7 are views of details on an enlargedscale.

The furnace 1 may be of any approved form, according to the use forwhich it is designed, a steam-boiler furnace being indicated in thepresent instance. An air-heating chamher, as 2, is arranged upon or inthe furnace in such manner that it will receive heat from the same. Inthe illustration this chamber is shown as exposed to the direct actionof the fire, valves 3 being provided in an arch, 4, for the purpose ofsupplying a portion of air to the combustion-chamber when found desira-The construction and location of the airchamber, however, may beconsiderably varied. It may either be formed in the masonry or locatedon its exterior, and obviously it could be formed in a furnace mademainly or wholly of metal. An air-chamber formed in the brick-work ofthe furnace is preferably protected by a metal casing or otherwise toprevent the leakage of air under the influence of the blast which isadmitted to be heated.

It can be provided with baffle'plates in usual manner, if desired. Ialso contemplate the use of a compartment adapted to receive ironfilings or their equivalent, and having connecting-pipes by which steamcould be introduced into the presence of the filings and be therebydecomposed and the resulting gas conveyed to the carburetor to beenriched and then conducted to the burner. Such carbureted hydrogencould be independently burned or be mingled with carbureted airbeforeburning; but as a mixture of about two parts of hydrogen with five ofcommon air is highly explosive, great care should be taken to avoidthese proportions or to prevent the ignition of,such mixed gases in thecarburetors or elsewhere, and none but those skilled in such mattersshould undertake to burn carbureted hydrogen. In the drawings isindicated a chamber for filings and a steampipe communicating therewith;but this feature is not essential to myinvention and may be omitted. Anair-inlet is indicated at 5 and an exit-pipe, 6, the course of the airbeing around the chamber containing filings, which latter is of limitedextent when compared with the air in chamber. A blower, airpump, orsteam-injector can be employed to force air into inlet 5. The air-pipe 6extends to a casing, 7, which surrounds an oil-receptacle, 8.

9 and 10 are continuations of the air-pipe. 11 is also an air-pipe,receiving its air from coupling 12, which communicates with the interiorof casing 7.

13 is a branch of the main air-pipe and leads to the combustion-chamberof the furnace.

Inside of the main air-conduit is arranged a gas or vapor pipe, 16. Itcommunicates at its outer end with an oil tank or receptacle,

8, and by a branch, 15, with tank 14, both.

tanks serving as carburetors, and said pipe communicates with thefurnace through its vertical and horizontal continuation 13 and 32, thelatter leading to a gas-burner pipe, 33, having the branches 34 34,which branches alternate with the branches 35 35 of the airpipe. Asrepresented, these pipes are passed through the side wall of the ashpit,adjacent to the ash-pit door, a recess being formed in the wall, towhich access can be had through said door to allow access to the pipesand their couplings. The pipes might be arranged in the doorway, andbeing made in sections would be easily removable.

A convenient arrangement of the burnerpipes is illustrated in Figs. 2and 3, in which 30 indicates the main air-pipe of the burner,

31, a pipe connecting it with conduit 13; 32, the main gas-pipe; 33, apipe connecting it with conduit 19, and 34 and 35 the air and .gas pipebranches, respectively.

In Fig. 4 exit-nipples 36 are represented; but they are not essential.It is,however,important that the exits be so arranged as to permit athorough mingling of the air and gas. This can be secured by so formingthe exits as to direct the jets of air and gas again st each other. Asrepresented, they are constructed to project the fluids downwardly. Thisarrangement is very favorable to admixture, and results in a partialcombustion in contact with the pipes,'by which the-fluids are highlypreheated. These exits, however, can be arranged to direct the jetsobliquely upward against each other, and that whether nipples are usedor not.

18, 19, 20, 21, and 22 indicate valves or cocks in the air-pipes. Thesevalves should be of such character that they can be fixed in any desiredposition.

24 is a cook or valve in the main gas or vapor pipe.

25 is an oil-supply tank communicating with reservoir 14 by a pipehaving a cook, 26, regulated by a float. Pipe 27, provided with a cock,allows oil to be drawn into reservoir 8, and'pipe 28 permits withdrawalfrom 8 of its contents, if desired.

The hot-air pipes are preferably provided with a non-conducting coveringto prevent loss by radiation. The gas and air pipes immediately belowthe comb ustion-chamber may be provided with asbestus wrappings-toprotect them from the fire. Preferably, a body of broken refractorymaterial is placed in the combustion-chamber, and a layer of looseasconduits 6, and its continuation 19 in air- ,conduit 13, by whichmeans the temperature of the oil-vapors is maintained or slightlyincreased and condensation entirely obviated. Considerable loss of heatis also saved by this arrangement and by the use of non-conductingcoverings.

Instead'of placing conduit 16 within conbe wrapped, together withconduit 10, by a non-conducting covering, and then, if desired, incasedwith wood or other material without departing from the invention. Valvesare provided to regulate the relative amounts of the fluids and maintainsuitable proportions, whereby perfect combustion can be insured; and tofurther aid this result ample means are provided for suitably supplyingair and bringing it in intimate contact with the fuel, so as to obviatethe passage through the furnace of any excess of air and at the sametime furnish enough to consume every particle of fuel. For this purposethe mingling of air and gas as they issue from the burnerpipes and theirpassage through asbestus or other refractory material, which checkstheir current and breaks it up in a manner to distribute and minglethem, are desirable; but devices for effecting these ends are notbroadly of my invention.

In operating the apparatus the initial heat may be generated in anyapproved manner, either by burning gas or carbureted gas or air, or oilor oil-vapor upon or among the refractory blocks, if such are providedin the combustion-chamber. Oil having been supplied to receptacles 14and 8 from tank 25, a blast of air or gas is driven through conduit 5and through the chamber 2 and conduit 6, branches 9 and 10, and pipe 11,and also through conduit 13 and pipes 31 and 35, to the burner-exits.The air that passes through pipes 10 and 11 will carry oil-vapor throughconduit 16 to the burner-pipes 34. The hot air which latter forms, ineffect, an extension of the main air-pipe, being connected with thehot-air space in casing 7, supplied with hot air by branch air-pipe 9.By thisarrangement the oil in receptacle 8 is raised to a highertemperature than that in 14,--and the air which; is passed through ithas also a higher temperature. The purpose of this construction andarrangement is that the fresh charge of oil, containingalarge amount ofeasily-vaporizable hydrocarbons, may be used more nearly at a normaltemperature than the less vaporizable oil.

Preferably oil from which the more volatile portions have beeneliminated by use in receptacle 14 is drawn through pipe 27intoreceptacle 8. The air, carbureted with the heavier vapors in thelatter, is mingled with that carbureted in the former and passed to thefurnace through the common conduit 16, and by this means a more uniformquality of fuel is produced than is possible where thecarbureting-liquid' is all subjected to a constant temperature.

IIO

It is obvious that otheroil-receptacles, with e or without casings,might be interposed between receptacles 8 and 14, and similarlyconnected with them and with each other withduit 6., the latter, itssize being reduced, may

passed over or through the oil in one or more of the receptacles, andparticularly through that in which the fresh charge is introduced.By-pass pipe 29 (shown in Fig. 1) may be used for that purpose.Preferably the oilsupply pipe is provided with a cock controlled byafloat, 37, or similar device, in such manner that the depth of oil inreceptacle 14 is automatically regulated. A similar device can be usedbetween receptacles 14 and 8. After the oil has been partially vaporizedin receptacle 14 it is passed into receptacle 8, and used at a highertemperature, as stated.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modification of the carburetor, in which an annularchamber, 38, is intended to receive the fresh supply of oil, and asimilar chamber, 39, to receive heavy oil. 40 is a hot-air chamber; 41,a hot-air conduit; 42, branches entering the oil; 43,a vapor-conduit,and 44 a pipe for transferring oil from the outer to the inneroil-chamber.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure byLetters Patent 1s 1. In combination, a blower connected by anair-conduit with an air-heating chamber, a burner adjacent to saidchamber, an oilreceptacle of a'carburetor, an air-conduit connected toconvey air from the heating-chamber to the interior of theoil-receptacle, and a conduit connected to convey carbureted air to theburner, the conduit for carbureted air being inclosed to maintain itsheat, substantially as specified.

2. In combination, a blower connected by an air-conduit with anairheating chamber, a burner adjacent to said chamber, two carburetingoil-receptacles, an air-conduit provided with branches or extensionsconnecting the air-heating chamber with each receptacle, and a conduitconnected with the burner and provided with branches or extensionsconnecting the same with the upper part of each carburetor, whereby twobodies of oil may be used to carburet air and the carbureted air fromboth may be mingled and conveyed to the burner, substantially asspecified.

3. The combination of a blower connected by an air-conduit with anair-heating chamber, a burner adjacent to said chamber, a carburetingoil-receptacle, a conduit for heated air connecting the heating-chamberand carburetor, and a conduit for carbureted air connecting thecarbureting oil receptacle and burner, the conduit for carbureted airbeing inclosed in the hot-air conduit, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. The combination of ablower connected by an air-conduit with anair-heating chamber, a burner adjacent to said chamber, an airconduitconnecting the air-heating chamber and a carbureting oil-receptacle,anda bypass pipe connecting the blower and the carburetin g oil-receptacle,substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a blower connected by an air-conduit with anair-heating chamber, a burner adjacent to said chamber, two carburetingoil-receptacles, one of which is incased, a hot-air conduit connectingthe heating-chamber with the space between the casing and its inclosedoil-receptacle, and also connecting said chamber by the medium of branchor extension pipes with both oil-receptacles, a pipe connecting theoil-receptacles for transferring oil, and a conduit for carbureted airconnecting the receptacles with the burner, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of a blower connected by a conduit with aheating-chamber, a burner adjacent to said chamber, two carburetingoilreceptacles, one of which is incased and on a lower level than theother, a hot-air conduit connecting the heating chamber with the spacebetween the casing and its inclosed oilreceptacle and also,by the mediumof branch or extension pipes, with both oil-receptacles, a pipeconnecting the oil-receptacles for transferring oil, and a conduit forcarbureted air connecting the receptacles with the burner, substantiallyas specified.

7. The combination of a blower connected by an air-conduit with aheating-chamber, a burner adjacent to said chamber, two carburetingoil-receptacles, one of which is incased and on a lower level than theother, which latter is provided with devices for automaticallyregulating the height of the liquid fed into the same, a hot-air conduitconnecting an air-heating chamber with a space between the casing andits inclosed oil-receptacle, and also connecting said chamber by themedium of branch or extension pipes with both oil-receptacles, a pipeconnecting the oilreceptacles for transferring oil, and a conduit forcarbureted air connecting the receptacles with the burner, substantiallyas specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. HARVEY. \Vitnesses:

A. C. JOHNSTON, J OSIAH W. ELLs.

